Sunseri is the first-ever Charlotte athlete to compete in the World Cross Country Championship. |
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Sunseri Competing in World Cross Country Championships Sunday
March 15, 2005
St. Etienne-St. Galmier, France - Charlotte freshman Nick Sunseri (Raleigh, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons) will compete this weekend in the IAAF World Cross Country Meet in St. Etienne - St. Galmier, France. Sunseri left last weekend to join Team Canada for training in France, in preparation for his race on Sunday.
The IAAF World Meet features some of the best athletes from across the globe. Last year at the World Meet in Brussels, 118 athletes and 18 teams competed. Nick is the first athlete in Charlotte history to earn a spot on the startling line of the IAAF world cross country meet. The men's junior race is for athletes around the world age 19 and under.
"I'm really excited to not only represent Canada for the first time, but also to represent Charlotte on the international level," Sunseri said from France during a break in his training. "We have an up and coming distance program here, and I want to do all I can to get Charlotte distance on the map. I think World's can be a big stepping stone for myself and the program.
"I've thought about representing Canada for a few years now," he continued, "but I never found the opportunity. I'm happy now that I have that chance. I'm excited about getting out on the race course, my opponents are the best in the world, I'd like to see how I measure up against competition like that."
Sunseri's qualification for this prestigious distance event was another highlight of the 2004-05 season for the 49er track & field and cross country programs. The freshman was well aware of the contribution he and his teammates were making to the future of the 49er programs.
"Things like me qualifying for the Canadian National Team and even better than that, Cassie Ficken recieving All-American on the women's side are the types of things I think we need to move towards. These not only show how we are improving on both teams, but they help to bring in better talent to the Charlotte program."
Sunseri, who graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, has dual citizenship and lived in Canada prior to moving to the Raleigh area. He earned one of six spots on the Canadian junior team, beating out over 165 other hopefuls in a qualifying race last fall in Toronto.
"Nick being Charlotte's first athlete to compete in World Cross is enormous for him and for our program," said cross country coach Brad Herbster. "Having that international experience is usually not seen until you graduate and run on the professional circuit, so this opportunity is one to really be excited about.
"Nick has been fighting off the flu for the past couple of weeks and is finally healthy again. Being so close to the date of the event it will be hard to increase his fitness a lot at this point, so he needs to go over and be as competitive as he can for Team Canada.
"With Nick competing against countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia, the countries who have dominated distance events for years, this should give him great confidence in his ability when he returns home. Being with Team Canada and hanging around athletes such as Kevin Sullivan (former NCAA Champion for Michigan) and other world class athletes for 10 days is awesome for Nick."
In his first season as a 49er, Sunseri had a successful cross country season this fall, earning All-Conference USA honors at the league's championship event. Nick also clocked the fastest time in a 10k race for a freshman in school history, placing 36th overall at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet in a time of 31:21.
Canada's Governing Body of Track and Field: www.Athleticscanada.com
IAAF World's Governing Body of Track and Field: www.IAAF.org
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